Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff Reply to FDA Over Vimal Ad; SRK Yet to Respond
Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff have responded to the Maharashtra FDA's notice over the Vimal Elaichi ad, while Shah Rukh Khan's reply is still awaited.
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received formal responses from actors Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff in connection with the show cause notice issued over their appearance in a Vimal advertisement. Shah Rukh Khan, who was also served a notice in the same matter, has not yet submitted his reply.
The notice stems from an advertisement promoting Vimal's Elaichi variants. The FDA has raised concerns that the commercial may constitute indirect promotion of pan masala, given the Vimal brand's primary association with the product. Pan masala is currently prohibited from manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution, and sale in Maharashtra for one year, effective from a date specified in a Prohibition Order issued on July 13, 2026, by the Commissioner of Food Safety under the FSS Act, 2006.
The regulatory body's notice stated that the advertisement "prima facie appears" to promote the Vimal brand, which is mainly linked to the banned product. The notices were served to the actors at different locations: Ajay Devgn at his Juhu residence, Shah Rukh Khan at Mannat in Bandra, and Tiger Shroff at the office of Tiger Shroff Productions LLP.
While the FDA has confirmed receiving replies from Devgn and Shroff, the contents of their responses have not been disclosed due to legal considerations. All three actors have maintained public silence on the matter. The development highlights the ongoing scrutiny of celebrity endorsements for brands associated with pan masala and the fine line between advertising permitted products and surrogate promotion.